In one telling moment from Mr Trump's speech, members of the Democratic Congressional Black Caucus sat in stony-faced silence amid a standing ovation as the president noted African-American unemployment has hit a record low.

Senator Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, said Mr Trump's appeal for unity, after a year of "divisive actions, petty insults and disgraceful race-baiting... ring hollow".

About a dozen Democratic lawmakers said they would boycott this State of the Union.

Smooth touch, sharp edges

Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, BBC News

You can tell a lot about a State of the Union address by where a president chooses to begin. On Tuesday night, Donald Trump delivered a polished speech that started by touting his economic record. Lower unemployment. Restored consumer and business confidence. A higher stock market. Mr Trump's poll numbers have lagged below the mark one would expect a leader presiding over a prosperous economy. The president, in his speech, set about trying to change that.

When it came to policy, Mr Trump offered some bipartisan suggestions with few details, such as addressing high prescription drug prices, infrastructure investment, job training and prison reform. Where the president lingered, however, were on topics that will prove as divisive as ever. The paeans to patriotism and traditional values will be viewed by Democrats as a rekindling of culture wars. He spoke of religious liberty and standing for the national anthem, and Democrats sat stone-faced.

The president's pledge to offer an open hand on immigration negotiations was surrounded by extended passages about immigrant crime and a veiled swipe that "Americans are dreamers, too".

This speech had a softer touch. The language was smooth. The edge, however, was still as sharp.

Mr Trump did not refer to the federal inquiry into whether his campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential election, a controversy that is dogging his presidency and which both he and Russia have denied.